Stabilizer for dirigible airships



J. N. LEWIS STABILIZER FOR DIRIGIBLE AIRSHIPS Filed Dec.

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a an M tilde? tin JAMES N. LEWIS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

STABILIZER FOR DIRIGILBLE' AIRSHIPS.

Application filed December 27, 1921. Serial No. 524,953.

To all whom it may concern. pp

Be it known that l, JAMns N.. LEWIS, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident.v

of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Stabilizer ior Dirigible- Airships, of whichthe following is a specification. y

This invention relates to stabilizing means for'lighter than air structure air ships.

The objects of the-invention-are to provide' stabilizing means which are automatically operable. to maintaintheair ship in a' substantially stable position. i

Further objects are to providestabilizingl means for an air ship of the character named which are manually operable;

Further objects are to obtain stabilizing means for an air ship of the character named which are simple in construction, easily understood and not liable to get out of order.

I have illustrated a construction embody ing this invention inthe. drawing accompanying and forming a part hereof in which,

Fig. l, is a side elevation of aflighter than air structure air ship, withone side ofjthe. nacelle thereof broken-away, toshow aconstruction embodying this invention installed therein.

Fig. 2, is a vertical section on line 2 2 of. Fig. 1, viewed in theJdirection', indicated by the arrows. V

Fig. 3, is in part an elevation,.on an en'-.. larged scale, of certain members forming elements of the device; with'the electric circuits of which some of said elements are members shown'in diagrammatic form and Fig. 4:, is an elevation of a modification of the construction embodying this invention.

A reference character applied-todes'ignate a given part indicatessaid part throughout the several figures of the. drawing, wherever the same appears.

The frame of the nacelle of the air ship in which the device embodying this inven tion is installed, which. is illustrated; in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises the deck A, the two-part beams B, B, the tie members 1C, which connects beams Band the side beams or ribs D. The ties C which secure'the beams B to side beams D, D, are illustrated as attached to said beams and to the ribs D by rivets or bolts E.

F, Fig. 3, indicates a dynamo. G a motor,

H, a fuse'box. l, l, J and 1K indicate brushes to motor G. L, represents a base on which pendulum M swings, as on pivot N. 0 represents a graduated scale by means of which the swing of pendulum M is observable. m represents the weight or bob of the pendulum. 1

H "What I term the stabilizer is designated by the reference character P. The stabilizer P, is attached to the car by means of the vertical standards 29 which extend upward between the parallel beams B, B; and cables p" are attached thereto, and to drums 79, as 18 indicated in Fig. 2 ofthe drawing. A plurality of said drums are provided,

mounted on shafts 79, and actuated by a motor, as motor G, Fig. d. When the'drums are turned in one direction the stabilizer P is lowered, as indicated bybroken lines in Fig. 2 of the drawing, and when turned in the oppositedirection said stabilizer is returned .to the position in which it is illustrated by full lines in said Fig. 2. W hen in said last named position it forms the keel to the nacelle.

The motor G- is provided with two sets of brushes,'.arranged so that when thecircuit of oneisetthereof is closed the motor I the pendulum M is in the position in which it isillustrated 'by full lines in Fig. 3, brush Q is in electric contact with and joins, to close or bridge the circuit of which they are elements, members 7",, and in case the pendulum M swings on the'pivot N,'said brush Q, is adapted-to contact with said members 1" and close thecir'cuits of which said members are elements.

9: is an electric conductor in electrical contact with'members g, 9, of commutator R, and with the brushes 1, I, of both the sets ofbru'shes (I, J and l, K) of motor It,

hereinbefore referred to. R represents insulating material on which members a", rare mounted. rt, r, represent electric condnctors which are electrically attached to members 1*, r of commutator B and to brushesd. K, of motor Gwhich are on the same'slde of the clrcuit, (conductor 1"conductor 1 tinue until the energized circuit is broken, which may occur. by the pendulum returnnected to brush J and conductor 7'' to brush K). R and R (Fig. 3) represent switches which are interposed in conductors r and r', respectively, and S represents an abutment on .one of the uprights p, which ,is positioned to open switch R" as said upconductor 9" is a member is opened bythe stabilizer P being raised to its extreme upward position; and the circuit in which conis a member is opened upon said stabilizer being lowered to its extreme lower position.

It will be observed that the circuit in which said conductor 1'" is an element is closed by brush Q being in electric contact with members g and'r of commutator It; and the circuit in which conductor 1" is a member is closed when said brush Q, is in contact with either set of the members 9 and 1" of said commutator.

It thus occurs that when the air ship rolls or lists to cause the pendulum M to swin on its pivot N so as to carry said brush Q to contact with either one of the members 1" of the commutator R the circuit in which conductor r is an element is closed and (said circuit being energized by dynamo F) motor G is actuated to lower the stabilizer P. This lowering of the stabilizer will coning to its initial position carrying brush Q, into electrical contact with member 1' and the one of members 9 adjacent thereto on commutator R, or.by abutment S opening switch R. In whichever of the above recited ways of breaking said circuits said break occurs the circuit in which conductor 1'" is a member is closed on the pendulum returning towards its initial position sufiicientlyto bring brush Q into electrical con tact with member a" of the commutator.

It may thus occur that a small list or roll may startthe stabilizer down and before it reaches the limit of its downward travel the air ship may return to its normal position and said stabilizer be returned to its upward (and normal) position.

In the modification which is illustrated in Fig. 4, the stabilizer is lettered P and con-s tached at the other end to the cables p which extend around the drum 1).

In this modification only a single drum,

3?" and a single motor, G, is required.

I prefer however to use a drum for each part of the stabilizer, P.

By this means the members P, P, may be singly lowered and raised and the principal portion of the weight of said mem- .air ship is thereby pointed at an angle from a horizontal plane.

The stop S is attached to the cable 79 in this modification, the standards 0 0t Figs. 1 and 2 not being required.

The operation is the same as hereinbefore described relative to "stabilizer P, that is, as the pendulum is moved over the commutator R, by-the roll of the air ship, the circuit comprisingxterminals q, z and brush Q conductor g and 1"? switch R dynamo F, motor G and fuse box Hfis closed; the

motor G is actuated and the free ends of stabilizer P are lowered until switch R is opened by abutment As the air ship regainsits normal position the terminals g, r, on commutator R are electrlcally connected by brush Q'and the circuit of which brushes I, J of motor G are elements, is

closed, and the stabilizer before described. p I

To manually operate the stabilizer the pendulum, M, is moved by hand so that is raised as hereinthe brush on the bob thereof will contact 9, r on'the commutator.

member rigidly attached to said body member, the combination of averti cally movable metal bar extending longitudinally on the under side of said ear member, and means to automatically ment of said bar.

2. In a lighter than air structure airship,

comprising a body member adapted to receive and retain a fluid lighter than the at'-;

mosphere surrounding said body member,

and comprising a nacelle rigidly attached thereto, the combination withsaid nacelle ot a member extending longitudinally on the under sidethereof, and'ada'pted to move ad-f jacent thereto to form the keel thereof, and to be moved therefrom to form a, stabilizing member and means to automatically con-- control said movement. 7

3. In a lighter than air. structure air ship, comprising a body member adapted to receive and retain a fluid lighter than the atmosphere control the vertical movesurrounding said body and a car member rigidly. attached to said body member, the combination of a vertically movable metal bar extending longitudinally on the under side of said car member, and means to automatically control the vertical-movement of said bar, said controlling means comprising a commutator, a pendulum,movable brushes actuated by said pendulum arranged to coact with said commutator, a motor, electric conductors andswitches arranged to form a circuit of which said brushes, commutators conductors, motor and switches are elements, means to energize'said circuit, and mechanical connections between said motor and said bar.

4. In a lighter than air structure air ship, a nacelle rigidly secured to said airship, the combination of a stabilizer comprising a metal bar extending longitudinally on the outer side of said nacelle, a pendulum, a brush on said pendulum, a commutator adapted to co-act with said brush, a motor, electric circuits comprising said motor, commutator and brushes as elements thereof, and arranged to be successively made and broken by the movement of said brush, and additional means to break said circuits, said motor arranged to actuate said bar, and said additional means actuated to alternately break said circuits by the approach of said bar to the limits of its travel.

5. In a lighter than air structure air ship, comprising a body member adapted to receive and retain a fluid lighter than the at mosphere surrounding said body member, and comprising a nacelle rigidly attached thereto, the combination With said nacelle of a stabilizing member secured at one end thereof to said nacelle, the opposite end thereof movable, means to control said movement, said controlling means including a pendulum, a commutator, and an electric circuit comprising a motor, and means to energize said motor.

JAMES N. LEWIS.

In the presence of CHARLES TURNER BROWN, SAMUEL M. BOOTH. 

